Spring clamps are widely used for a variety of applications. While spring clamps come in a wide variety of formats, they generally consist of a pair of jaws that are pivotally connected to one another. Each jaw is connected to a handle. A spring is positioned within the handles such that the spring normally biases the jaws together in a closed configuration. When pressure is applied to squeeze the handles toward one another, the jaws are pulled into an open configuration. When pressure is released, the spring forces the jaws to snap shut.
One particular type of application for spring clamps is on electrical cables for a quick and easy attachment to a power or signal source such as automotive jumper cables. Jumper cables are widely used to jump-start vehicles such as automobiles and trucks having dead batteries. Prior art jumper cables typically include two lengths of insulated battery cable and four spring clamps. A spring clamp is fixed to each end of each length of cable. The jumper cables are usually fixed to one another along most of their lengths in order to minimize tangling of the cables.
The present invention relates in general to an improved jumper cable construction and is concerned, more particularly, with jumper cables that are safe and easy to use. Conventional jumper cable clamps have open ends, or protruding handles that can become caught and tangled with each other. If the open ends of conventional jumper cable clamps become hooked to one another while the opposing ends of the cable claps are attached to the terminals of a battery, it is possible for the open or exposed conductor of which to enable current to short circuit or loop through the cables, creating sparks and other potentially dangerous circumstances. Additionally, the open ends of conventional jumper cable clamps can become caught on the cables, which promotes tangling of the cables and adds to the difficulty of use, requiring undue delay in their application. Jumper cables are often needed in difficult conditions, such as during cold weather, during storms, or during the night. In these situations, preventing cables from becoming caught on each other and tangled together can ease and speed up the process of jumping a vehicle, thus allowing users to more readily extricate themselves from difficult or dangerous situations.
Another drawback of prior art jumper cable clamps is that there is a wide-separation between the top and bottom handles, which makes it difficult to get a grip on the clamp, particularly for people who have small hands or diminished grip strength. The separation is caused by the configuration of the handles, each of which is set at about 180 degrees (or in line with) relative to its respective jaw.
There is thus a need for a jumper cable clamp having the following characteristics and advantages over the prior art.